


Bracelets

by alumort



Series: Main Branch Neji [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Childhood Friends, F/M, Fix-It, M/M, Main Branch Hyuuga Neji, Naruto Rare Pair Week 2020, Reciproromantic Neji, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, swap au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:40:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24085234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alumort/pseuds/alumort
Summary: Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga were friends since they started the academy, and made friendship bracelets with their favorite colors. Here, you'll see how they got them, the time they met Lady Hokage outside ninja business, and the first Chunin Exams.
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji/Rock Lee, Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina
Series: Main Branch Neji [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1850017
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	Bracelets

**Author's Note:**

> THIS is the one I'm proudest, of the fics I wrote already and posted! I will expand this AU, yes. As small One-shots.  
> Hope you enjoy!!  
> Also; trans Neji, as always, and trans Minato because yes.

The snow, a cold layer hiding the earth from the Winter. A layer that would be filled again; that, no matter how many times you clean it, it comes again in the next day.

It was one of the beauties of the Winter; yes, maybe he got ill more usually because of it, but it was his favorite season of the year. It was quiet, his head didn't hurt because of the noises of the civilians in the village. That included his own family, too; they normally had high voices, they normally harassed Hinata and Hanabi just because they were lucky to be adopted by the Main Branch after their father died; because they didn't wear the curse seal in their foreheads, like the rest. 

He and his father were trying to find a way to revert it. They refused to make more members of their family suffer from it, some still feeling remorse as they were still marked before Hizashi became Clan Head, and the rest being happier and calm.

"Neji, someone wants to see you", his father announced from the door of his room, with a soft smile in his face. "Do I let him in?"

"Of course", the boy replied with a nod, placing his hands over his lap. 

A faint breeze entered the room, alongside his best friend, who sat at his side as soon as his eyes saw the other pair. His black hair had some snow in it, his green scarf too, and Neji laughed while cleaning it with delicacy.

"Hi", Lee greeted when Neji finished, almost as a whisper, with a warm grin decorating his face.

"Hello there", the brown haired boy replied, voice in the same tone, relaxed. "What brings you here? Do you want to have a sleepover?"

"I made you something! And yes!!", Lee answered without a doubt, and that's when Neji noticed that there was something between his hands.

He leaned closer to him, trying to see without activating the Byakugan, and his friend touched his nose. Neji sneezed, not expecting that, or the bracelets that Lee had.

"Surprise!! This is for you, my friend!!"

The bracelets were made with strings of different tones of green and lavender; they were identical, wide, and the boy didn't even know his friend could do these beautiful things. It was a cool surprise.

"Oh!", Neji whispered, extending his hand. The shorter boy quickly tied one to his wrist, just to tie the other in his own. "It's so cool, I love it. Thank you, Lee."

"Thank  _ you _ ! For being my best friend!!"

~

It wasn't a surprise that they ended up in the same team, after graduating in the academy. They trained hard, together, before that; adding Tenten Namikaze to the mix was what made them train even harder. She was very skilled with weapons and seals, determined in every way. 

They would usually eat dinner at a different teammate's house after missions; that's how they met the Hokage, and the rest of her family. Their teacher said it was a good bonding activity for them, and didn't want to interrupt. He gave them lunch, those days they didn't do anything more than train until the sun started to fall. Now, in front of the big house, Lee was nervous, filled with scratches and dust, no time to bathe or change his clothes or even comb his hair-- even if Tenten reassured him that nobody would mind, he felt insecure. Touching his bracelet before entering the house and sharing a short glance with Neji made him build up more trust.

"Mom, Maa, Nana, I'm home! Neji and Lee are here too!", the girl announced, leaving her shoes in the doormat and walking to another room, waiting her new friends in its entrance. "Come on, they want to meet you."

Lee doubted for a second, playing with his fingers just to be interrupted by the sight of a short blond, who was peeking through the door with noticeable impatience. He smiled to him, and the kid hid again, leaving giggles behind.

They soon followed. The house was warm, with a relaxing cream color pallet; it smelled like someone was cooking.

"Welcome!", a woman with red hair greeted them, a soft grin in her face. "Don't be shy, we don't bite. Take a seat."

"What's your name,  _ hmm _ ?", the short blond from before asked, from behind Lee. "And yours?"

How was he so fast? Lee didn't even got to turn around before his voice came from a farther place, probably from Neji's right. Maybe it was because one of his mother's taught him how, but it was still a mystery for Lee. A question for another time, as another person appeared from the kitchen.

"Lady Hokage", both boys said, giving the blonde a bow. She laughed, softly touching their shoulders, and they took it as a signal to rise again.

"No need to be so formal", she said, smiling. "You're our guests. Feel free to call me Minato here."

"Okay!", Lee agreed, nodding. Neji imitated him, looking like he wanted to say something else. That was obvious, by how his eyes looked at the ground instead to at the front. 

They finished their presentations and sat at the table, talking about the mission while having dinner. It was nice, after the tiring day. The black haired boy had felt shy at first, but soon that fade away between the anecdotes and laughs. He felt welcome, more than in his own home; his mother was  _ never _ there, anyways. He wished he could stay more, as in either of his friend's houses he was more loved than in his own.

When it was time to go, Neji stayed behind him. It was strange, but he did seem to want to talk to Lady H- Minato before. Maybe it was about the seals, or something else; he wasn't going to ask if his friend didn't want to tell. He wasn't nosy.

"Sorry for making you wait", Neji said, walking at his side as they crossed the street. "Do you want to stay at my house tonight? Gai said we were going to rest tomorrow. Dad will agree if we do puppy eyes together". This made them laugh, remembering how many times they had used that trick( _ which  _ **_still_ ** _ worked, after years of us _ e).

"Thank for the offer, my rival! But, ah, I haven't even bathed yet...", Lee muttered, denying with his head. "Do you think it's alright if I bathe there?"

"Of course. Nobody will say anything", the brunet agreed, nodding. "You said your mother wasn't coming for a week or two, so maybe we can convince dad to let you stay as long as you want to”, Neji added, smiling.

"That's... thank you, Neji!", Lee exclaimed, looking at his friend with a smile. "I would invite you to my house, but something  _ always  _ happens when  _ she _ is at home..."

"It's okay", the long haired boy replied, placing a hand in his shoulder. He still had the bracelet Lee made for both; Lee himself couldn't use it much anymore, as his taijutsu would break it away. He always felt better when he saw it in his friend's wrist. "Lady Hokage is very nice. And she's... like me."

"Like you?", the black haired boy asked, slightly tilting his head to the side. They were outside of the compound now, so his voice was soft.

"Yeah... with gender.", Neji whispered, waving at the guards that were on turn as they entered through the gates. "She's trans. Like me."

"Oh!". Lee blushed at feeling a hand covering his mouth, looking away. His voice came out louder than intended. "Sohry", he muttered, and they entered the house at the center of the compound before anyone else could see them.

Except Hizashi. Who was sitting right at the entrance, waiting for them( _ Neji) _ , and smiled at the unexpected( _ super expected _ ) guest. He didn't even ask as to why he was there; it was late, and it was common for Lee to just appear in their door- common enough that the guards  _ actually _ let him in. At this point, he was unofficially a part of the Clan, being treated as such every time he stayed.

~

The Chunin Exams came pretty quickly, and they participated a year after becoming Genin. Between missions, the time seemed shorter; their teacher decided they were ready, and that's how they were now waiting for them to start. Tenten asked them to wait for her as she had to check something behind. Neji guided his friend to a less crowded area, to talk freely, without having to worry about people being nosy. Annoying, as it was usual when a Clan Heir entered somewhere with unknown shinobi there.  He barely smiled when people was around. Lee was impressed by how he could mask his feelings so well; he supposed it was a Clan heir's talent of some sorts, and admired it. The brunet refused to taught him how to do that, saying that a neutral expression didn't ‘ _ suit him’ _ .

They noticed a door opening, staring at whoever was coming their way. As they recognized the messy blond hair of their friend's brother, they relaxed.

"Oh, hi Lee, hi Neji!", Naruto said, finding them as they waited for their teammate to return. He was accompanied by a girl with pink hair and the youngest Uchiha heir; his teammates. "Where's Hundred? Isn't she with you?"

"She is cleaning her weapons", Neji replied, putting his cold mask on again, eyes closed. But the blond knew it was fake; he once asked to touch his hair, and ended up poorly braiding it. It took hours to untangle it  _ and _ the flowers between the hair strands.

"Let's go, Naruto. I don't know how you know these guys, but they're not worth our time", the other boy muttered, impatient. Lee inhaled before standing in front of him, frowning.

"You think you're better than us because you're an Uchiha, isn't it?", he exclaimed, pointing at him. "Let's spar; I'll show you how  _ wrong _ you are!"

"Wait, Sasuke! Don't fight with him; he's more experienced than us", Naruto warned, looking at the other boy with worry in his eyes. "You'll get hurt!"

_ "He _ challenged me. I will fight anyways", the blue haired kid scoffed, smiling. "Feel free to start."

"Alright!"

A jump in the air and almost no movements required, and the spar ended as soon as it started. It wasn't hard to defeat the Uchiha; he centered his training in ninjutsu and didn't do any taijutsu. Unlike him.

Lee smiled at the pinkette after the fight was won, obtaining a groan from his friend. Sakura ignored him, going to help the boy in the ground alongside Naruto.

"I told you to not fight him,  _ idiot!", _ the blond told his teammate, sticking out his tongue. Then he disappeared, using the teleportation technique his mother taught him. Appearing behind Lee, looking at someone that had just arrived. "Hi, Hundred!"

"Hey, Nana! I didn't know 'Kashi was going to bring you here too!", Tenten exclaimed, smiling at her brother.

"Well, we're pretty good. And it was like a surprise for you and our moms!", Naruto exclaimed, smiling. Sasuke frowned, looking at Lee with something like anger in his face. "We'll pass, you'll see!"

"Maybe", Neji whispered, finally opening his eyes in the time the exchange occurred. Sasuke wasn't expecting to see his pale irises, and it showed in his expression. "We should continue our path. They will start, even if we don't arrive."

Nobody argued with that, chattering between themselves. Tenten befriended Sakura very quickly, and Lee could hear them complain about being the only girl of their respective team.  They all ended up in semi finals, after some days in a forest. Random matches, with low chances of fighting each other. Naruto fought one of his classmates, and won, and then...

"Hinata and Neji Hyuga will be the next ones fighting", one of the organizers said, yawning. The symbols of their names were clear in the screen.

~

Neji bowed at her before the battle, as they normally did. This was yet another spar, nothing important; Hinata had to work in her resistance. They knew who was going to win from the two, yet Hinata still gave all she had in her attacks. His little sister had become stronger. She had stopped stuttering since leaving the academy, and her punches were more precise than before.

"You're too slow", he told her, dodging her hands. Hinata started to pant, the only hint of tiredness that she showed. 

"I know", his sister replied back, surprised by his fist in her elbow. Not strong enough to break, always gentle.

That lasted for long minutes. Neji dodging, Hinata receiving a quarter of the hits he tried to do. She gave up in the end, out of breath, and the brunet could feel bruises already forming in his skin.

"I'm proud of you", he said, helping her in getting up after he was announced as the winner. "You're stronger. You'll be able to defeat me soon."

As they went up to the stairs to watch the rest of the matches, he could see a tiny smile forming in her lips. He was instantly hugged by his team, minus Tenten( _ was she alright after her match? She didn't come back after being checked by the doctors. Neji would search for her later.) _

"You were awesome there, my rival!", Lee exclaimed, grinning. After Gai had become their teacher, he started to call him like that. It was a cool nickname, and now they were training even more because of their  _ 'rivalship' _ . Productive.

"Good job!", their mentor congratulated. Before he could say something about youth( _ Neji just  _ **_knew_ ** _ he would. No reason at all _ ), the brunet decided to apart himself by centimeters, to give them a small bow.

"Thank you", he said, hugging them back. "Is Tenten alright? Maybe she wants company."

"She's still being attended...", Gai explained, sighing. "I think we will be allowed to visit after your match, Lee."

_ "Yoosh! _ I'm excited! I hope I'm the next one!"

And his wishes came true, his opponent being a red haired weirdo from another village.

... a wish that, in the span of ten minutes, simply crashed the dreams of his friend. His left arm and leg, wrapped in sand, almost completely destroyed by the stranger's power. Lee still wanted to fight, even when he had passed out. It took Gai many attempts for him to stop and be attended.

Neji could feel his heart beating in his throat as he tried to follow the doctors, his friend, he was bleeding too much-- was he going to die? He was strong and determined, he...  _ he couldn't die, isn't it? _

"Neji, calm down", he heard someone said at his side, someone with a soft voice. Two pairs of arms embraced him again, familiar.  _ Family _ . 

"H-he's going to be okay, big brother...", Hinata whispered in his ear.

Neji wasn't crying; as a Clan Heir, he couldn't allow himself to do so in public. Yet his sister and teacher knew him well enough, carefully hiding his face from the rest ( _ as he wished _ ) before trying to help. He started to play with the green and purple bracelet in his wrist, hoping that nothing too bad happened. There were lots of trained medical ninja, they could heal Lee.

~

They could not. His nerves were too damaged, and he was  _ 'lucky to be alive'.  _ That he would never be a ninja again. No rehabilitation was enough to repair him, nobody but Tsunade would be able to heal him; and nobody knew where the woman was.

He felt empty for the first time in years. Sad. Like when every kid bullied him, because he couldn't use ninjutsu... they only stopped when Neji became his friend. But this wasn't something as usual as that. As expected. He had no hopes now. No matter how much he had trained, he was defeated. No matter how hard he tried.  At least he was alone in his hospital room. Visited by his team, and only them; the only people that really cared about him, accompanied by Lady Hokage and Hizashi, sometimes. In the first days, he saw Naruto and two people more, but he was too tired to remember what happened; he remembered it was the only time they came.

He walked aimlessly with his crutches through the hospital, practicing with them. It was a bother. Horrible. He couldn't even use his leg as support, as he would slip and fall; all his weight was in the right side of his body, and he hated it. They let him return to his home after one week and a half; a lonely, little shack, of him and for him only. He never cared about the absence of his merchant mother until now, when he would just curl up in his bed and didn't have the energy to do more than that. Gai and Neji were like saviors in that sense; they checked on him often, spending hours with him. It was nice... but he was still injured. Nothing would ever change that. 

One month after his almost-death, and the finals of the Chunin exams were happening. If he couldn't do it... he could at least cherish his friend from the crowd. So he went anyways, his teacher helping him to walk, talking about silly challenges with his rival to cherish him up.

~

A battle against Naruto made his strategy doubtful; he was his teammate's little brother, son of Lady Hokage, a sunshine... he couldn't really go hard with him, but he couldn't underestimate him either. He could teleport very quickly, and use Shadow clones; those two skills alone were impressive at such young age, and he probably had more secrets now that Kakashi was training him too. 

He bowed before the fight, as it was a tradition and a formal thing. Naruto seemed taken by surprise with this, imitating him with some clumsiness. The blond smiled at him, nodding. And the match started, countless of Naruto-s appearing as soon as it was announced. It was confusing, seeing how they moved so fast, making his eyes hurt by following him. They, however, were mere clones. And the  _ 'original' _ was either hidden or transformed into a thing of the battlefield. It was easy to destroy them, who turned into clouds of dust with the gentle fist.  More and more clones appeared, coming from a tree nearby. That have his position away; even if they moved in careful steps, Naruto didn't teleport before cloning himself again. Not saying anything while defending from the attackers, he approached the hideout, kicking the trunk while throwing one of the clones to the sky. He heard an  _ 'uh _ !' coming from inside the wood, having kicked the boy too by accident. In the face.

Naruto touched his cheek in protest but, before he could go away, Neji grabbed his shoulder with strength, trying to immobilize him. He was too swift for that, slipping away; yet, with his Byakugan he could tell he was running low in chakra, thanks to all those clones, and teleportation, and the training from before the tournament.

"Eight Trigrams...". The brunet started his last attack, not willing to make his opponent more injured than needed to win. Tenten would be at his throat if he even  _ thought _ of doing that. "... eight palms!"

That was enough to immobilize the younger boy's arms and legs. He groaned, falling to the ground, looking at him in awe even if he had been defeated. It was easy to win once he found him.

"... Naruto can't move anymore!", the jounin that was controlling the fights( _ Genma _ ) exclaimed, going to help the boy. He looked at the brunet with a smile in his face. "Neji Hyuga wins!"

~

"You were great there, Neji!", his friend exclaimed, carefully maneuvering through the stairs with his crutches. His face was always bright, positive... even when there was a chance he would never be a ninja. Even if he would never train again, something both of them enjoyed.

"Thank you, Lee..."

"You're going to be a Chunin soon. I'm... so, so  _ proud _ of you!!"

That was when the black haired boy couldn't keep his tears in anymore. Neji quietly hugged him, making soft circles in his back, to comfort him.

"Lee, don't cry…", the brunet said, not letting go of him. Lee denied with his head, sobbing.

"I want to tell you something, Neji. I almost die without doing so, ha...", his friend whispered, holding him closer with his strong arm. To be steadier. "I don't want that to happen before I do."

"What is it? Is it bad?", Neji wondered, looking at him in the eyes. There was a trace of doubt, of fear, in those dark green pools... 

"I like you, like. A lot", he muttered, dodging his pale gaze now. His cheeks were red. "Like, um... How Gai likes Kakashi. Not like friends, you know?"

Neji tensed, not moving at all as he processed what Lee told him. He started to play with the bracelet in his wrist, not looking at his friend. The dark green gaze was curious, patient... Lee was waiting for a reply. But, the brunet didn't know what to say. He was happy with his friend how they were now; romance was not a thing he had considered before, between them. It wasn't something his Clan would accept easily- but then again, they could still have children, if the relationship lasted enough. Maybe it would.

And well, it was better than having an arranged marriage with someone he didn't know, from either the Taketori Clan or his own. Neji did like Lee- just not in the way his friend would expect. Sometimes he felt embarrassed around him, but that was the only symptom of falling in love he had. Maybe it was enough, better than breaking his heart. He was a good person, he didn't deserve that.

"I accept", he said, finally looking at him again. He could feel his cheeks heating up; was that because of the confession he received? Or did he started to crush on him now?

"Huh?"

"I mean...". Neji dodged his dark green gaze again, by hiding his face in the younger boy's shoulder. Now that he was thinking of... love, he felt shy. Strange. "I think... I like you too. I never thought of you, or  _ anyone _ , in that way."

Lee was visibly upset about that, and the brunet wanted to slap himself. That wasn't the way to say it.

"But... You're really nice. Well, that's why you're my best friend", Neji muttered, closing his eyes. "We can try that, dating... maybe I'll like you in the same way after a while. I don't want to upset you more. Let's do it."

"If you just say that to make me feel better... it's better if we don't", Lee whispered, sighing, breaking the embrace at a slow pace. "I'm sorry. Forget I told you anything, okay?"

"No, I- I  _ mean _ it, Lee. I do mean that I never thought of romance before now. And it's like... now I want to?", the brunet explained, nervous. "It's weird, but I think I like you. We can try and if we don't like it, we'll still be friends. Deal?"

The black haired boy giggled when he heard the last word, nodding with his head.

"Deal."

~

In the end, they never broke up. They even got married, in a small ceremony held months after the Fourth ninja war. They had a long and happy life, travelling through the world after their son became Clan Head and both retired from ninja work. They kept the purple a green bracelets in their wrists, a symbol of their friendship and love, making new ones when the others broke or rot.


End file.
